Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay?

[Yehootu]

Opinions? Don't like cold weather cruises, but must do Alaska next year. May 22 cruise does Tracy Arm and Haines, June 1 does Glacier Bay and Skagway. Other ports similar.

Mahalo, Tim

[Coral]

Glacier Bay.

 

Tracy Arm is often missed.

[Arlened236]

Glacier Bay, words cannot tell you how beautiful it is. Also Tracy Arm is often missed that early in the season.

You will love Alaska either way.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Arlened236

[Smokeyham]

Another vote for Glacier Bay! Did quite a bit of research before our Alaska cruise and chose Glacier Bay. A bit foggy when we were there, but still beautiful.

 

Skagway is also a fun port! We enjoyed the Yukon and White Pass Railroad from there.

[rimau]

No question...Glacier Bay. Tracey Arm is nice but GB really outshines it.

[geoherb]

It depends on what you want to get out of your cruise. If seeing glaciers is important, then go on the one that includes Glacier Bay. Tracy Arm, however, is nice in its own right even if you don't get to the end to see the glaciers.

[KruzeKrazy!]

Agree - we've done both including getting all the way to Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. Check the itineraries - GB is often times a lonver part of the day. And if you had the same time in both and got to the end of Tracy Arm I'd still take GB. Multiple glaciers and Marjorie Glacier at the end is phenomenal.

 

If I could have only seen 1 glacier I'd certainly choose Marjorie Glacier in GB as my 1 over Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm.

[sonnenschein]

If you don't like cold weather cruising you picked the wrong month. It is still cool the first and last month of the year. We have cruised last week of June and also middle of July and had great weather, sunshine every day with temp in the high 70 to low 80 (almost to warm for Alaska) I also vote for Glacier Bay.

[f-mattox]

The weather is not entirely predictable. I've had beautiful weather in May and nothing but cold and rain in June and July; all I'm saying is don't plan your cruise entirely on what you think the weather might be. Itinerary and ship are important too.

[Coral]

The weather is not entirely predictable. I've had beautiful weather in May and nothing but cold and rain in June and July; all I'm saying is don't plan your cruise entirely on what you think the weather might be. Itinerary and ship are important too.

 

My May cruises have been gorgeous. One of my July cruises was the worst weather possible - constant fog, rain, sleet, ice, very little visibility, etc...

[Thrak]

I've only done Glacier Bay - and loved it. I have read about a bazillion posts here on CC (OK, not really that many but...) and it seems that many cruises to Tracy Arm don't make it to the glacier. Don't be confused by those who say they "missed Tracy Arm". I don't have concrete evidence but I believe that to be misleading for the most part. I believe they made it into Tracy Arm and got to see wonderful "scenic cruising" but never made it to the Sawyer Glacier and many never made it within sight of Sawyer Glacier. Others have made it all the way and the pictures are beautiful.

 

However, the truth seems to be that many (most? I don't know...) never make it to the glacier and many never even see it from afar. That doesn't mean they didn't make it into Tracy Arm and didn't have beautiful "scenic cruising" there.

 

On the other hand, if cruising Glacier Bay you definitely DO see glaciers up close and personal. You will "probably" see calving. It's pretty darn cool and I"m definitely going back.

 

I think I will definitely do Glacier Bay twice before attempting Tracy Arm but I will also cruise Tracy Arm.

[Coral]

I've only done Glacier Bay - and loved it. I have read about a bazillion posts here on CC (OK, not really that many but...) and it seems that many cruises to Tracy Arm don't make it to the glacier. Don't be confused by those who say they "missed Tracy Arm". I don't have concrete evidence but I believe that to be misleading for the most part. I believe they made it into Tracy Arm and got to see wonderful "scenic cruising" but never made it to the Sawyer Glacier and many never made it within sight of Sawyer Glacier. Others have made it all the way and the pictures are beautiful.

 

.

 

Honestly, we have skipped it. We never entered Tracy Arm at all on some of my sailings. I know the difference, believe me.

[KruzeKrazy!]

Think GB as a glacier cruise experience and Tracy Arm as a fjord cruising experience with Sawyer Glacier as a possible but not probable bonus.

 

And regarding weather go by your dates and enjoy the Alaska experience rain or shine.

 

I always preferred tropical cruises until our first Alaska cruise and loved it so much we returned on another pretty darn soon.

 

We've had rain in July and sunshine in Sept - really just depends on the location and the day (or more correctly the part of the day). The weather in Alaska changes frequently which is part of its charm and leads to such great scenery and wildlife.

[peachykiehn]

It depends on the purpose of your trip. I personally love to get closer to the glaciers so enjoy Glacier Bay. Also you will have a better chance of seeing calving and spend a longer time at the face of the glacier. For shear beauty Tracey Arm is wonderful with the cliffs. That early in the season I would not count on getting all the way to the Sawyer glacier in Tracey Arm.

[4cats4me]

Another vote for glacier bay

[gcvt]

When I go back again, and take the girlfriend for her first time, it will definitely be Glacier Bay. No question there.

[iceleven]

We've done Tracy Arm three times and only once got close enough to see the glacier but the scenery before arriving close enough to the glacier is beautiful and there are often wildlife (bears, elk, mountain goat, on the shoreline and up on the cliffs) and seals floating on the ice. We were at Hubbard glacier (HAL) and couldn't see it because of dense fog (very disappointing.) Last July we went to Glacier Bay and saw a couple huge glaciers with only little calving (a little disappointing). You can also see the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, in fact walk right up to it.

 

What I loved the most about Glacier Bay was an area right before you get into the mouth of the bay where there are dozens of whales to be seen. Sometimes whole pods of them swimming along side the ship. So many people miss this as they sit inside or they look outside for a couple of minutes and say, "I don't see anything" and walk back inside. :rolleyes:

 

We go to Alaska to see the wildlife and if you get the chance to go to Haines you MUST rent a car. We saw so many bald eagles catching salmon with their talons and flying away and momma and baby bears in the river barely 15 feet away from us.

 

And don't worry about the weather. You have no control over it and it is what it is. Last July we saw some hardy Alaskan teens swimming in the waters right below the Mendenhall glacier. I remember saying that it was warmer there than it was here in San Francisco the same time of year.

 

We missed Alaska this year but we generally go every year and it's on our list for next year, for sure.

[Yehootu]

Decisions, Decisions... Birthday is May 22nd so wife wants that cruise. Will have to think some more. I thought from reading that the bigger ships sped past Glacier Bay. Seems a lot of posts said it's Captains choice as to how far into the bay he goes.

Please correct me if I'm confusing the two.

Tim

[KruzeKrazy!]

My experience is Captain's choice on how far in is Tracy Arm due to ice and time. Look at the itineraries for total travel time into each - you'll likely find GB is longer than Tracy Arm.

[shepp]

I cruised Glacier Bay after I cruised Tracy Arm, and then promptly joined the "GB for sure" crowd. Then early this month I cruised Tracy Arm on a misty day, was fortunate enough to get close to Sawyer, and the whole experience was gorgeous. The sight of waterfall-punctuated cliffs emerging from the mists was magic. Of course, whenever you sightsee outdoors, you at the mercy of the weather, and I lucked out. But this time around, I felt that I sacrificed nothing by choosing Tracy Arm instead.

[Mary Ellen]

Think GB as a glacier cruise experience and Tracy Arm as a fjord cruising experience with Sawyer Glacier as a possible but not probable bonus.

This is exactly our feelings. We've been to Tracy Arm several times. Only once did we make it far enough to see the face of the South Sawyer glacier. The other times, it was still a beautiful fjord experience that we really enjoyed. For a 'one time' cruise, Glacier Bay.

[CruisingObsessed]

I'm going to have to buck popular opinion and not vote for Glacier Bay necessarily.

 

First of all the ports are the same, but timing might be different so check it out if that's important to you.

 

Having done both cruises, I give a slight edge to Tracy Arm for Glaciers, IF AND ONLY IF you take the excursion that leaves from the ship and takes you directly to the glaciers and hangs out there. Glacier Bay is beautiful, and I loved the sea otters that you won't see if you do Tracy Arm. BUT, you only get to see it from the ship itself. If the glacier doesn't calve kind of on cue, like it didn't for us, you won't see calving. The ship pauses for a while, but not a long while.

 

I also found the glaciers in Tracy Arm to be more active, so there were more colors of blue in the ice (it whitens as it oxidizes after calving). We saw the floating ice up close on the excursion, in a way you never will on the big ship. And there are seals on the floating ice in Tracy Arm. You get to see them fairly close up on the excursion.

 

That being said consider the time of year. Both of our trips were in August. If going in May, do Glacier Bay. There's often too much ice early in the season for even the little boats to get far in Tracy Arm.

 

Oh, and if you want Glaciers, combine it with taking a helicopter or float plane tour to land on one and see if from that perspective. IMHO you can't truly say you have experienced glaciers until you have walked on one AND seen it from the sea.

 

That all being said, IMO if you want the ultimate Glacier trip--book the cruise that goes to Glacier Bay, take the Tracy Arm catamaran excursion from Juneau as a day trip (independent, the ship does not offer this but it's the same company), then take the helicopter from Skagway.

 

One last tidbit---our helicopter pilot said usually your best bet for Alaska weather and Glacier viewing is June to early July. We were there in August and had perfect weather, but he said that was unusual. Whatever you choose have a great cruise! :D

[Coral]

I'm going to have to buck popular opinion and not vote for Glacier Bay necessarily.

 

First of all the ports are the same, but timing might be different so check it out if that's important to you.

 

Having done both cruises, I give a slight edge to Tracy Arm for Glaciers, IF AND ONLY IF you take the excursion that leaves from the ship and takes you directly to the glaciers and hangs out there. Glacier Bay is beautiful, and I loved the sea otters that you won't see if you do Tracy Arm. BUT, you only get to see it from the ship itself. If the glacier doesn't calve kind of on cue, like it didn't for us, you won't see calving. The ship pauses for a while, but not a long while.

 

I also found the glaciers in Tracy Arm to be more active, so there were more colors of blue in the ice (it whitens as it oxidizes after calving). We saw the floating ice up close on the excursion, in a way you never will on the big ship. And there are seals on the floating ice in Tracy Arm. You get to see them fairly close up on the excursion.

 

That being said consider the time of year. Both of our trips were in August. If going in May, do Glacier Bay. There's often too much ice early in the season for even the little boats to get far in Tracy Arm.

 

Oh, and if you want Glaciers, combine it with taking a helicopter or float plane tour to land on one and see if from that perspective. IMHO you can't truly say you have experienced glaciers until you have walked on one AND seen it from the sea.

 

That all being said, IMO if you want the ultimate Glacier trip--book the cruise that goes to Glacier Bay, take the Tracy Arm catamaran excursion from Juneau as a day trip (independent, the ship does not offer this but it's the same company), then take the helicopter from Skagway.

 

One last tidbit---our helicopter pilot said usually your best bet for Alaska weather and Glacier viewing is June to early July. We were there in August and had perfect weather, but he said that was unusual. Whatever you choose have a great cruise! :D

 

Just FYI - I have booked Adventure Bound 2x (small boat) and did not reach the glaciers at all. On one trip, we made it probably half way through and the 2nd time, we went to Endicott Arm. So even if you book a small boat trip, there is still a decent enough chance that you will miss it. One of my Tracy Arm trips (on a large ship) skipped it all together and went to Endicott Arm and this was in July! I also missed Hubbard Glacier in July.

 

My point is if you really want to see a glacier and it is your first and possibly only trip -go to Glacier Bay!

 

It is great that you had pretty good luck but that is not the norm when speaking to people on the ship on my 9-10x in Alaska on cruises.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Coral

[RNGALNG]

We took our second cruise to Alaska just this month. We thought we would do Tracey Arm this time as we did Glacier bay on the last trip.

 

I would have loved to have taken the small ship side tour but found out after booking that after Labor Day, it is no longer offered.

 

Both arms are on the cool side when it comes to weather, I think because of the landscape.

 

TA had beautiful scenery all along the passage. However, because we had to be in Juneau by 2:00, the captain turned the ship around at 10:00 in order to make it. The tour says we were to go all the way to Sawyer Glacier but I have read threads here where people have complained because they too did not get to the glacier.

 

Seven years ago, when we did our first cruise, we went to GB. It was cold, rainy, bone chilling! But oh, to see the glacier! It was well worth it! We spent an hour with the ship facing one way, then the captain turned the ship 180 degree and we sat for another hour. To get to see the calving and beautiful blue ice! Worth every penny spent on the cruise.

 

When we decide to go back again, I will carefully read about each tour and read again before booking. I also think I would pick to go to Glacier Bay again. More 'AH' power than TA.

 

Good luck with making your choice!

[mickeyforus]

Do Glacier Bay - Absolutely. we made the mistake of taking the cruise with Tracy Arm Fjord. never saw the glacier and very few by the postings i have read. We were extremely disappointed with our cruise. First and possibly last cruise to Alaska. Alaska is beautiful, we went in September and the weather was perfect, in the 50,60's every day and little to no rain at all. nice colors also. People friendly, towns cute, lovely landscape etc.

If sailing and seeing glaciers at the same time is important to you, then go to Glacier Bay. i wish we had.